A. Field of the Disclosure
The field of the instant disclosure is methods and systems for representing a user's position on a display visible to the user based on the user's real-world position.
B. Background of the Art
Methods of representing a user's geographic position on a display have until now been limited to three major classes: those in which the user views the display, and in which the user is always represented at the center of the display and in which the user's environment constantly scrolls to portray movement; those in which the user views the display, and in which the user's position on the display may vary and in which the user's environment periodically scrolls to portray movement; and those in which the user does not view the display. These methods all have inherent disadvantages.
If the user is always portrayed at the center of the display, the user may have difficulty with orientation. The user may not be able to determine his position relative to known landmarks. If the method orients the portrayal of the user's environment based on the user's heading, it is difficult for the user to determine the cardinal directions from the display (unless these are expressly marked).
Regardless of whether the user is always portrayed at the center of the display, the scrolling screen has the disadvantage that the user cannot see objects in the environment in area to which the screen has not yet scrolled. If the user's position is not fixed on the screen, this virtual horizon will change in its distance from the user, further complicating orientation and navigation.
The lack of defined boundaries of the field of the display poses inherent difficulties in orientation to the human user. It creates a virtual environment in which the user's position cannot be determined without reference to landmarks on the display. The user's position cannot be determined simply from looking at the user's position on the display, because the user's position on the display is either always in the center or jumps wildly from edge to edge or edge to center. Of course, in methods in which the user's position is represented on a display not visible to the user, the method is useless to the user in orientation and navigation.
Moreover, there may be certain instances in which the geographic area of interest is fixed or limited. In such instances, it may be disadvantageous for the display to scroll and advantageous for the entire geography of interest to be viewable on the display. For example, if the geography is a region with specific objects and/or other users who are also displayed or tracked by the system to which the display is in communication, it may be particularly advantageous to display the entire geography, with all relevant objects, on the display without scrolling so the user may view all of the relevant surroundings.